JULY 14, 2010

The leering hyena
AKA soft spoken lioness

This editorial was published online on July 14 and is being reprinted this week while Don is out of town atttending a class reunion.

Nancy Barto, the self-anointed “soft spoken lioness” who is running for the state senate had a balance of $19,079.93 on June 30, 2008. In January 2010 she had a balance of $16,194. There is a large difference between the two.

In 2008 she had loaned her campaign $23,000. She had personal contributions of $5,355. The only ones who gave the statutory limit of $390 were Gerald Freeman of Cave Creek, Carol Lambert and David Lambert, both of Tempe.

Freeman was the individual that tried, through Barto, to author and ratify HB 2154. This bill would have been a catastrophe to anyone living on a private road easement. Fortunately, the bill was lost after severe amendments by Realtors, in the Senate, and it never became law.

On Jan. 31, 2010, 31 of the 62 contributions were from individuals who are affiliated with Blue Cross Blue Shield. That included the brass, president and CEO, 12 VPs and 10 directors. Virtually all the rest were doctors, optometrists, naturopaths, clinics and others affiliated with health care.

She got $9,935 from the above individual contributions.

Do you think you will have fair representation on health matters if Barto becomes a senator? She is owned by health interests.

Then she raised $6,259 from Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.

Six of 14 contributors were involved in health care and totaled $4,914. The largest was the Arizona Dental Association at $1,664. Second largest is Realtors of AZPAC at $1,000. Others ranged from $75 to $500.

She ended Jan. 31 with a cash balance of $16,194.

The latest report is dated June 30. At this juncture she has a cash balance of $45,648.62.
Barto raised $12,524 from individuals.

Nineteen of 81 contributors are related to health care, 12 were attorneys and 13 are consultants and lobbyists. So more than half were people who, no doubt, are seeking access and votes as well.

So here is a potential senator who is beholden to health care, consultants/lobbyists and lawyers.

Even Tom Farley III, CEO of AZ Association of Realtors donated $100 after donating $1000 of PAC money in January. To his credit he helped kill HB 2154, but knowing that history why would he support the Barto?

Gerald and Janice Freeman donated $250 each, twice, and then refunded $250 each, bringing them within the legal limit. Gerald Freeman and Nancy Barto pushed and shoved HB 2154 to the limit only to arouse the ire of realtors, who, especially Tom Farley, reduced to a local bill, which then died in both caucuses. Why, after that experience Farley would contribute anything is a mystery. Repeated calls to Farley were not returned.

There was $2,390 contributed by political committees. Contributions ranged from $100 to $500. Five of the nine contributors are affiliated with health care. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce PAC, AT&T employee PAC. Highway Patrolmen PAC and the Arizona Credit union PAC contributed.

Do any of the above represent your interests - or theirs?

The sad part about this is Barto’s fund raising has swamped the other three who are running against her. Any of the three would be way better than Barto.

Does this result look like the David and Goliath competition between J.D. Hayworth and John McCain? And it is all about money. It is also about a functioning system of functionaries.
I learned that lesson in the dim past when I tried to help Ed Gurney when he ran against current Democrat Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.

I gave the maximum legal amounts and campaigned hard for Gurney, who was damned by the public for being accused of being a Nixon supporter during his tenure in the Senate.

Gurney lost heavily because of money but also because, on Election Day, it seemed every corner had two women with children waving pro Nelson signs. Volunteers, believers.

This in spite of Nelson’s campaigning, which always included in heavy southern accent, “This is my waff and these are my two chilren and our dawg, we call him diggeddy dawg.” People loved it.

In looking at financial statements for my choice, Ray Barnes, he only has, as of June 30, a cash balance of $2,626.73.

Even worse, Senate candidate Brad Buch had a cash balance on June 30 of $120.50.

And last, candidate Bob Green had a cash balance of $12.34 as of June 30.

Many tea partiers and others want to kick out incumbents. Here is your chance with these candidates.

Since money speaks, I am afraid we may have Barto as an Arizona Senator and John McCain as a continuing U.S. Senator. The last thing we need is the power of the incumbency which leads to power of the purse strings, but that is what we have.

You can see by the run down of Barto’s financial statement what interests she will attempt to help at your expense. With McCain it is an open border and amnesty.

I do hope clean elections are completely eliminated and it is up to voters to go online and read financial reports. We don’t want legislators who are owned by various interests.

But in spite of the overwhelming odds against Barnes and Hayworth I still have hope they will prevail. Sonoran News will continue their support.

Kiwanis
I received several comments from Kiwanians who were angry because they said CCUSD superintendent Debbie Burdick was introducing Heather Carter at the front door of their Wednesday luncheon as an LD 7 candidate for the state house.

They said Herb Hayde was notified and he made it clear to Burdick and Carter that politicking was verboten at Kiwanis.

Hayde had a different recollection. He is the club secretary and was a former Kiwanis Governor. He said he asked Burdick, who was the day greeter, why Carter was standing there and was told Carter was a house candidate. Hayde says he told Carter to go sit at a table and that politics was not acceptable at Kiwanis.

Remember Kiwanis provided a petition on Burdick’s behalf (distributed by Kiwanis member and education maven Kathy Haugner) and Burdick in turn sent a thank you letter to Kiwanis for getting her the high-paid position.

If this is what Carter means by claiming she is for education, look further, she blew it.

Watch for updated financial contributions for Carter and her competitors on Aug. 14.